


"Are we really just friends?"

by TheLittleAndersen



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Awkward Romance, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, F/M, I'm addicted to Naruto again, Love Confessions, Romance, it's been years, wholesome stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24519970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLittleAndersen/pseuds/TheLittleAndersen
Summary: A one-shot of Shikamaru Nara paired with you. Wholesome content only.
Relationships: Nara Shikamaru/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 46





	"Are we really just friends?"

The sound of river water clashing with rocks, the birds singing as they perched on a tree branch on some tree somewhere, and the worried shouting of your name on a sunny yet cold Monday morning; what a wonderful predicament. Your relaxed smile faded as soon as you heard the familiar voice of your childhood friend, Shikamaru Nara, screaming your name frantically. You have never heard him this panicked before. He was usually calm and composed, even during deadly missions. It must be urgent, considering that he never acted this vulnerable before.

“Y/n!” Shikamaru shouted for the last time. “Where the hell are you?!”

“Right here,” you responded, raising your arm from the ground that you were laying on.

Shikamaru’s face came into view, blocking out the sunlight that was hitting you directly. You narrowed your eyes at him before slowly sitting up. The panicked expression on his face made you snicker, shaking your head as you tried to hide the oncoming smile that was building up inside your mouth. Shikamaru looked annoyed, but he did not say anything about you holding in your laugh. He breathed in a heavy sigh at least three times for a few seconds before finally regaining composure. He clasped his hands together and pointed them at you.

“Were you the one who placed my dirty laundry on the front lawn?” Shikamaru asked.

You shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Shika.”

Shikamaru frowned. “You’re not really great at hiding your little schemes, Y/n. I know that was you. That is the same prank that you have been pulling ever since we were kids. It’s honestly getting old. How troublesome…”

Shikamaru glanced at you, seeing that you were crossing your arms over your chest and your face was scrunched up in annoyance. Whenever you did something like this to Shikamaru, it would only mean that something was bothering you, and it mostly involved him. That was how much he knew about you, but it was a small fact about you that he secretly kept for himself. However, this prank of yours not only annoyed Shikamaru, but it made his mother nag at him for doing something so disgusting and barbaric. He sighed deeply, letting you off the hook. _Again._

“Okay, never mind that stupid and troublesome prank of yours,” Shikamaru said, taking a single step towards you. “What could possibly be bothering you again? You’ve been doing this prank more frequently as of late. Three times in a week. My mother is beginning to think that I have gone crazy, Y/n. It’s troublesome.”

Eventually, your facial expression softened and turned melancholic as your shoulders drooped. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, wondering if this was one of those times when women should be consoled by a male friend. However, even to his knowledge, it was something that he could not bring himself to do. It was just not like him. He was never that kind of guy, but he made sure that he always spoke of the truth whenever necessary. He shook his head and shrugged, slowly turning as if to walk away.

“If you’re not going to tell me, then—”

You quickly grabbed onto the sleeve of his jacket. Shikamaru stared at you, stopping halfway from fully turning. Your eyes were darted downwards, making it impossible for him to decipher what your emotions were. Hell, even if he did see them, he would have no idea what to do with you. During situations such as this, you would grin at him and tell him that it was nothing and that you were just bored, but… This time, it was different.

“How troublesome,” Shikamaru whispered, grabbing your hand and gently letting it go before fully turning to you.

You were debating whether to tell him or not. You have loved him for a long time, but you never got around to telling him what you really feel. You were sure that Shikamaru already knew the reason why you would pull such pranks on him, but you never told him what you truly felt. He was somewhat dense, but he could still empathize with someone whenever the situation asks for it. He always did that for you. When your first pet died, he was with you the entire day. When you failed a written exam during academy, he treated you with food. Shikamaru was just dependable and kind. Maybe those were a few of the reasons to why you fell for the man. Sure, he looks generic compared to Sasuke and Neji, but he was smart and caring. Nobody else can see that because they do not know a lot about him just yet. Your gazes met, making the two of you blush.

“Shikamaru…” you whispered.

Shikamaru hummed, averting his gaze to look at you.

“Are we really just friends?” you asked.

Shikamaru was caught off-guard by your question, but his expression only changed ever so slightly. However, there was a hint of pink on his cheeks as he tried to think of a reason to why you would ask such a thing. Weren’t the two of you friends? He promised you that he always had your back whenever something bad happens, even though it _did_ prove to be quite “troublesome” for him. You annoyed to no end, and he preferred minding his own business more than anything in the world. His flustered expression quickly turned into that of confusion and annoyance.

“What in the world are you saying?” he asked in return. “How troublesome for you to think that…”

“I’m serious, Shika,” you said, stomping one foot on the ground.

“Jeez, you don’t have to act like a brat,” he said, shaking his head. “Well, aren’t we friends? What are you going on about?”

You certainly looked like a tomato at this point. So did Shikamaru, but he looked pinker than red. He never experienced this kind of conversation with anyone before. One person would only question their friendship if there was something seriously wrong, and that somewhat worried him. Was that it? Did he get it right?

“Is there something wrong with… us?” he asked cautiously. He didn’t want to incite anger from you, not after being nagged by his mother before he got into this situation.

“I love you, Shikamaru!” you shouted.

Oh, so that was what’s wrong.

Shikamaru did not know what to say. He was as red as you were now. He never really considered you as someone he would go for in a relationship, since you were a massive prankster like Naruto, troublesome, and… Well, his friend. He regarded you as nothing more than a friend. However, the more he took a good look at you, the more he felt embarrassed to say anything. He was slightly worried that he would ruin this moment for you, something, he assumed, was special to you… in a way.

“Hey, q-quit joking!” Shikamaru said, letting out a nervous chuckle. “How troublesome… Is this how far you would go with your age-old pranks?”

“I’m serious, Shika!”

Shikamaru turned back to you and gave a good look at you. She stared at you with sheer determination in her eyes that it made Shikamaru turn his head away from you. You felt heartbroken, overthinking whether you should have confessed to him some other time. However, the cat is already out of the box. It was too late to take back what you said. It’s about time you told him what you really felt about him. You were tired of hiding your feelings for him. The two of you were old enough now, and you were sure about what you felt for him. You hoped Shikamaru would look back at you and to your surprised, he did.

“How troublesome,” Shikamaru whispered, clicking his tongue. “Seriously, what the hell do you even like about me?”

“A-Ah, um…” You began to think spontaneously. “For a start… Y-You’re smart, you’re kind… You always looked out for me, and… Well, you’re you. I can’t say anything else because it’s just all you.”

Your honesty was enough to make his heart beat faster. Your genuine and flush smile was a bonus, making him smile, even though it was slightly crooked. He sighed, approaching you before enveloping you in a gentle yet firm hug. You, although surprised, returned this gesture. You were not expecting him to hug you. You expected him to reject you. He was the kind of guy that did not think of anything else besides his own comfort. He did not like exerting too much thought onto despicable things like love and women, but here he is, giving you a hug that he hasn’t given you in ages.

It felt nice and warm.

“You are truly, one of the most troublesome people I have ever met,” Shikamaru, said, his arms slacking after hugging for too long. “If I said I would take you out for yakiniku as a treat, would you take that as an answer for your embarrassing confession just now?”

Your face burned bright red. “You idiot… Of course!”

Your soft smile turned into an idiotic grin, with Shikamaru returning it just the same. He wasn’t brave enough to tell you the same words you told him just now, but he was sure with what he felt. He suddenly felt the strong urge to stay by your side even more, even though you were still quite troublesome for him. He sighed; a sheepish smile spread across his features as he watched you rambling on about what types of meat you wanted to eat. Shikamaru _did_ tell you that it was his treat, so he was not getting out of this one today.

Scattering my underwear for _this,_ he thought, shaking his head.

_You’re quite troublesome._


End file.
